Andaman and Nicobar Tourism

Andaman & Nicobar Islands form an archipelago in the Bay of Bengal between India and Myanmar. Most part of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands is a Union Territory of India, while a small part in the north of the archipelago, including the Coco Islands, belongs to Myanmar. Port Blair is the capital town and the tourist hub in Andaman Islands. Andamans are one of the popular destinations for honeymoon tours.

The archipelago is divided into two groups of islands - the Andaman Islands and the Nicobar Islands. Andaman & Nicobar Islands stretch over a length of more than 800 km from North to South. It consists of about 572 islands out of which only around 36 islands are inhabited. Of these, only 9 islands in the Andaman Islands are open for tourists while the Nicobar Islands are inaccessible to tourists. Non-Indian nationals need special permit to visit Andaman Islands.

The Andaman & Nicobar Islands have been inhabited for several thousand years. The original inhabitants of the islands are many tribal groups like Great Andamanese, Jarawa, Onge and Sentinelese people, who have had no contact with any other people. The Marathas annexed the islands in the late 17th century AD. In the early 18th century, the islands were the naval bases of Maratha admiral Kanhoji Angre. The British finally annexed Andaman & Nicobar Islands in the 19th century who used it as the prison for Indian freedom fighters. During British Raj, the islands were referred to as Kalapani for their notorious penal settlement.

The Andaman Islands are divided into South, Middle and North Andaman. The islands are important for their unique ecosystem and are known for their evergreen tropical rainforests, pristine beaches, gorgeous corals, fascinating marine life, and adventurous water sports. The Cellular Jail, Chatham Saw Mill, Mount Harriet, Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park, Radhanagar Beach in Havelock Island, Neil Island, Long Island, Baratang, and North Bay Island are the important tourist attractions of Andamans.

The sea around the Andaman Islands offers excellent scope for water sports. Andaman Water Sports Complex offers water surfing, skiing, water scooters, snorkeling, scuba diving, etc. These Islands are also famous for adventure tourism like trekking and camping. The Veer Savarkar International Airport is located in the capital town of Port Blair, which is about 3 km from Port Blair Central Bus Stand. Port Blair has direct flights from Chennai, Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata and Bangalore. Regular passenger ship services are available to Port Blair from Chennai, Kolkata and Visakhapatnam. There are three to four sailings every month from Kolkata and Chennai to Port Blair and only one sailing for Visakhapatnam in a month. The voyage through ship takes about 50 to 60 hours during fair weather.

There are several accommodation options in Andaman & Nicobar Islands to cater all types of vacation budgets and tastes. There are luxury hotels, premium hotels, budget accommodation, private and government lodges at affordable rate. The climate of Andaman & Nicobar Islands is tropical and humid throughout the year. The best time to visit the Andaman & Nicobar Islands is from November to March while the peak season is from December to February.

Gandhi Park :Laid in record time in the heart of Port Blair, it is an enticing park comprising of a children's park, amusement park, deer park, water sports facilities, Japanese temple, nature walk and a restaurant. This beautiful park at Port Blair has facilities like amusement rides, safe water sports, nature trail around the lake, garden, restaurant and historic remains like Japanese Temple as well as a bunker. The erstwhile Dilthaman tank, which was the only source of drinking water to Port Blair, and the area around it has been developed into Gandhi Park in an unbelievably short time of 13 days.

Bangaram Island : Situated in the Bay of Bengal, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are still largely undiscovered by mass tourism. Part of India these Islands extend into Indonesian group of Islands. There are a number of small islands around Port Blair which fall within the Marine National Park and are uninhabited and covered with virgin forests on them. Daily excursion to various such islands takes one to beautiful secluded beaches. The Marine life of corals and fish is rich and colorful and is a delight for snorkels. On the Western coast in the Arabian sea in Lakshadweep Group of Islands . These have superb snorkeling and fine beaches. The tear-drop shaped, uninhabited Bangaram island, is embraced by a halo of creamy sand. Like in all other islands of Lakshadweep, coconut palm groves are ubiquitous in Bangaram. There are three uninhabited islands in the same atoll - Tinnakara, Parali-I, and Parali-II. All the islands share the same lagoon, an enormous bowl of turquoise blue. The warm, clear and deep waters of the Indian Ocean pose an irresistible invitation to scuba divers. The Bangaram Island Resort is fast becoming a by-word among the island - hoppers of the world. Opened only recently to foreign tourists, the resort with its simple but attractive housing, has already become a circled spot in the brochures of tour operators all over.

Sentinelese of Sentinel Islands : North Sentinel Island is home to the world’s lone Paleolithic people. Sentinelese have survived today only because of the fact that they remained distant from the contemporary world and had no contacts with other communities or groups. Believed to be evolved form Jarawa and Onge tribes, Sentinelese never leave their Island and are exceedingly hostile. Thus most of their living culture remains a mystery.

Great Andamanese of Strait Island : Once being one of the largest tribal populations of Andaman Islands, the number has shrunk from 10,000 in 1798 to 19 in 1969, which is an area of concern. Administration has come up with several ways of helping these tribes in surviving along with preserving and protecting their culture. These tribes are now relocated in a very small island called Strait Island. These tribal people live their lives like that of the foragers. Although these people have switched over to some modern day cooking that include spices, they are still going on with their gathering and hunting at times. The traditional food consists of turtle eggs, crabs, fish, roots and tubers eaten with pork, dugong, turtle, octopus, Andaman water monitor lizard, mollecuscs collected form the shelled aquatic life viz. scorpion shell, trochus, helmet, turban shell, screw shell and sundial and various types of crabs. Nowadays these people are getting involved in poultry farming and cultivation of vegetables.